Despatch-bomb.



No. 743,302. PATENTED NOV. 3,, 1903.

H. B. LITTLEPAGE.

DESPATGH BOMB.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES:

A TTORNE Y S, S

UNITE STATES iatented November 3, 1903.

HARDIN B. LITTLEPAGE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DESPA'II'CH-BOMB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,302, dated November 8, 1903.

' Application filed February 16, 1903. Serial No. 1%,552. (Ho model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARDIN B. LITTLEPAGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, in the District of Columbia,

have made certain new and useful Improvements in Despatch-Bombs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in the nature of a despatch-bomb in the form of a projectile which may be fired in ahigh trajectory and carry a message or messages over an enemys lines to a desired destination; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing the missive-chamber with its sections separated and the message or missive as discharged therefrom. Fig. 3 is across-sectional view of the message-chamber, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of such chamber with the message inclosed therein and the cap applied.

In military operations, times, it is frequently desirable and often essential to communicate with detached commands, whether of reinforcements, reserves, or other troops--such,for instance,as a change of the plan of battle might require-or to'communicate with a beleaguered post, fortified camp or city, and frequently across barriers-- such as rivers, marshes, mountains, or ravines-Where a courier might have to ride many miles to reach a ford or passway and run the risk of being intercepted, his-despatches captured, and the information given to the enemy. By my invention I seek to avoid intercepting the messages, and where there is a possibility of the message falling into the hands of the enemy it can as well be sent in cipher.

' On the other hand, the message can be sent in the handwriting of the commanding officer, and where necessary or desirable an immediate acknowledgment can be signaled or returned.

The projectile A may be in any desired form-such, for instance, as the spherical form shown in Fig. 1-an.d so constructed as to insure its flight, its explosion at the proper time, its breaking into harmless fragments,

as well as at other and at the same time unfold a trailing stream of any color preferred containing a message. It may be made pyrotechnic as maybe desired, and in despatching at night the messages may be illuminated, so as to be readily found, while in the day color-ribbons of any length desired may be employed and folded and placed in a chamber composed of two or more parts, so as upon the explosion of the projectilethe parts will disnnite, release the ribbon, and permit itto trail to theground, and for this purpose the object should be to explode the despatched bomb over or into the vicinity of the cooperating command, the sound attracting attention and the streamers indicating that it conveyed a despatch.

The bomb casing or shell is composed of the segmental sections A, united on thelin'es A and forming an inclosure for the exploding charge and for the filling B, which may be of any suitable material-for instance, pulverized metal, such as filings or borings in harmless form-and pyrotechnics may be filled in, if necessary, with quicksilver, as indicated by the star 1 and the moon-shaped figure 2, as illustrated in Fig. 1. A time fuse 0 leads to the exploding charge D, and,.like the exploding charge, it may be of any suitable construction to secure the desired end. It will be noticed that the casing is formed in sections separated by dividing-lines,so that when the charge D is exploded the casing will be disrupted, and I provide in connection with the sectional casing chambers E for the missives, messages, or despatches F. (Shown in Fig. 2.) These chambers E are held in recesses formed in the meeting edges of thesece tions A of the casing A and are also made in sections united on lines E in alinement with the division-lines between the sections A of the casing, so that when the sections A are separated by the force of the exploding charge D the sections e of the chamber E will be separated and the missive F, which may be weighted at f, will be discharged and may descend tothe ground, as will be understood from Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In inserting the missive F in the chamber E it may be placed therein in folds or layers, as shown in Fig. 4, or may be rolled or otherwise disposed within the said chamber or placed loosely therein in any desired manner,

so that when the sections of the chamber a'r'e separated the missive will fall to the ground, it being understood that the message or despatch is to be written or otherwise produced upon the streamer F. Y

As shown, the cup or chamber Eis made in the three sections e and is provided at the outer'end of said sections with flanges e, forming a head which may outer faces of the sections A, a suitable cap G being provided to close the outer end of the chamber orcup E in the use of the invention and being threaded to place, as shown.

In practice the bomb or projectile will preferably be discharged from a gun arranged to fire in a high trajectory. I My invention will be found useful in many ways. Thus, for instance, it may frequently be necessary to order in reserves at a certain point, and this can be done almost instantaneouslyand the exact point given without fear of the interception of the despatch by the enemy. The invention will also be especinlly valuable when the army and navy are cooperating and will be useful for ships, whether of war or commerce, in communicating with the shore or life-saving stations.

Having thus described my invention, what i I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The improved projectile herein described, comprising the casing made in segmental sections and provided in the meeting edges of said sections with a recess for the despatch chamber or cup, and having the outer end of said recess countersunk, the despatch chamber or cup fitting in said recess and made in sections united in alinement with the division-line between the sections of the within the casing,

casing, and having at the outer ends of said sections flanges forming a head fitting in the countersunk recess in thecasing, the message or despatch within said chamber or cup,,and the disruption thereof, the exploding charge within the easing, the filling within the casing surrounding the exploding charge, and the time fuse leading to the exploding charge, substantially as set forth.

2. A projectile having amessage chamber or cup, a message therein, a casing receiving the chamber oroup, and an exploding charge substantially as set forth.

3. A projectile having an exploding charge, a casing composed of separable sections, and

fit in recesses a in thesaid casing with the division-line between these sections in alinement withthose of the casing, substantially as set forth.

5. A projectile having an exploding charge, a time fuse therefor, and means for holding a message andior permitting the discharge of same when the pro ectile is exploded, substantially as described. I

6. A projectile having a casing provided with an explosive-chamber and with one or more chambers independent of the explosivechamber to receive a missive, substantially as described.

7. A projectile having a casing and one or more cups or chambers composed of separable sections to receive described.

8. A projectile having chambers or cups to receive missives and means exterior to said chambers or cups ,for causing. disruption thereof at a predetermined time.

9. A projectile having an explosiveschamher, and means for causing the ignition of explosives therein, and chambers or cups independent of the explosive-chamber for containing messages, substantially as described.

10. The projectile comprising the casing provided with one or more recesses for ch m bers or cups and having the outer end of saiu recess orrecesses countersunk, the chambers or cups composed of separable sections, an

a missive, substantially as explosive-chamber, means for causing the ig- Y nition of explosives therein causing disruption thereofat a predetermined time and a suitable packing surrounding the chamber for the explosive substantially as described.

11. A projectile having a central chamber for explosives, and separable cups for missires in the shell thereof.

12. A projectile having a central chamber for explosives, a series of separable split cups in the periphery thereof, a cap to cover the split cups, and a fuse for causing the ignition of-the explosive,

HARDIN B. LITTLEPAGE. 

